Three teams have survived a long and
hard-fought season to remain in contention for the Pro Stock Championship
going into the final event of the IHRA season. Pete Berner remains in this
chase, standing third in national points. Heading into the World Finals at
Rockingham Dragway with a Championship on the line is no unfamiliar
territory for Berner. In fact, this is exactly the situation he's been in
for the last three years. And two out of those three years, he's coming
out on top. Time will soon tell if he'll do it again.
"We're going into this race with no pressure," states the two-time World
Champ. "We've been in this position before and we know how to race to win.
This makes the fourth consecutive season we've been in the Championship
hunt with it all boiling down to the last race. We know that we have what
it takes, but we also know we've got some ground to make up. Jerry and
Mike have been working hard in the power department, dynoing our motors
and bringing everything up to speed. Three of our motors are capable of
going to the pole and setting records. I'm very confident in our ability
to perform.
"The last race we only got one qualifying shot and we went to the pole.
Even on that run, we didn't make a great pass," Berner explained. "I
rolled the beams which caused my red light and then had to cut off 80 feet
before the finish line. And in the second round, we made just about the
worst pass we've ever put down the race track. It drove through the clutch
the entire way. So the last race was pretty ugly; we didn't show the
potential that I know we have, but I am very confident in my team. I'm
convinced I have the best team in Mountain Motor Pro Stock, and we know we're
going to do well at this final race."
Berner has seen success at Rockingham before. Besides having clinched two
championships there, Berner also won the $100,000 shootout last fall and
was runner up there this past spring. Once again, Berner is looking for
success at the Rock as the Championship and the Elite Motorsports Pro
Stock Elite 8 Shootout winners will be crowned at the upcoming World
Finals.
"We're very familiar with this track. We've done well there and have a
solid base of data to go off of. Going into the World Finals this year is
very similar to last year. The Championship was on the line and the
Shootout had been postponed to Rockingham due to rain. Again this year,
the Championship is on the line and the Shootout is going to be contested
at the Rock due to rain in Maryland. We know how to get down this track.
Our goal is to go out there, set the record, and do our best. This
Quarter-Max.com team is confident in our ability to do just that.
"Besides the fact that there's so much riding on this one weekend, we also
want to do well because this may be our last chance to race with IHRA Pro
Stock as we know it. Many have heard the rumors circulating, and, while
there's no official word yet, we're all aware that this may be the last
event run under current Pro Stock racing standards. If the changes come to
pass, this race will have a special meaning to all of us there. We aim to
make it count."
